Western tack and riding.

[cblover]

Is there such a thing as a lightweight western saddle?

Scrappy the Clyde is 5 this year and ready for a bit more action. Anyone else got a heavy horse and rides them western?

Just after some general information really. Good and bad but I fancy giving it a go. I have a close friend who is knowledgable on all things western but her tack is so heavy. I’m always looking to keep things as light as possible for my trusty stead and it’s good to hear different opinions. Thanks.

 

[ycbm]

I have a Ralide tree western saddle that is much lighter than my friend's one, which is incredibly heavy. I can barely lift it!


.

 

[MyBoyChe]

I ride my tank of a highland in a Barefoot Nevada western, its lighter than a treed saddle and we love it

 

[TTK]

Apparently Specialized Saddles are very lightweight. Alan Stirling is the British agent for them.

 

[HashRouge]

My share horse has a western saddle and it's really heavy. I hate it!

 

[TPO]

Contact Western Tack Trader / Jennifer Sheerin for western saddle advice.

You can get half breed saddles (Fabtron) that are part leather and part synthetic making them lighter.

General rule of thumb is to avoid synthetics if you're over 8 or 9st. The structure just isnt there to provide support and it causes pressure points.

Having watched an overweight rider on a poor wee cob at a show in a synthetic it was fairly obvious too ?

Synthetics also dont tend to be build on proper trees or with any the "proper" fit in mind (bars and rock for example).

A lot of people think one size fits all and that you can get away with most things because of western pads. This isnt the case at all.

I had a bad experience using The Western Saddler, and I wasnt alone, so I was VERY wary. I went to watch a fitting day that Jennifer Sheerin was holding and I was blown away by her depth of knowledge and selection of saddles. She is an absolute mine of information and incredibly helpful. She fits all over the UK so even if you wanted to pop along and find out more that would give you a start.

Beware of cheap saddles on ebay and fb. On Jennifer's WTT facebook page she has a link and article about how to spot the cheap Indian and Mexican saddles that are flooding the market and shows what's going on inside them!

I know lots of people who have a cheap western because "it's just for hacking" and a cheap pad. Honestly the pain those are causing horses ?

Also keep in mind most westerns are made with flat backed QHs in mind. Jennifer had a set of trees she can try on horses so you can see yourself the fit and all the intricacies of it. Although she herself can tell eye what saddles to try.

All of her stock is american and she wont sell those "flex" trees either.

I dont mean to fan girl over her but after such a bad and stressful experience purchasing my first western saddle for my current horse (& hearing what others went through too) seeing jennifer first hand was brilliant. Cant wait to get fitted this summer for a new one

 

[TPO]

To the second part of your question look up WES (western equestrian society).

What area are you in? There are a few western places in england with big show arenas.

Up here in scotland theres a girl who rides her shire western. They are a fab team. I dont know where you can watch it now since horse and country isnt on sky anymore but the shire featured in the "back up" episode of Warwick Schiller training series is the scottish one.

There are quite a few cobs and highlands and a couple of fjords doing western up here

 

[cblover]

Thanks everyone, great advice. I’ll look into it.

 

[SBJT]

I probably can’t help with saddle brands as I don’t know what you get over there. If they’re available I used to have a Tucker and it was only 25lbs. The one I have now is a Vic Bennett but they’re local to Canada. Amazing saddles though. My guy is a Clyde/QH/Paint X and he goes great in a western saddle. I can see why you want lightweight though as hoofing one over can get tiresome...

 

[TPO]

@SBJT post has reminded me that Jennifer/WTT is an stockist of Tucker and another brand that escapes me just now. As SBJT said they are really lightweight for leather western saddles and are really popular for that reason.

There is a knack to (gently) swinging western saddles onto horses too rather than lifting them over. That makes it easier given the weight of some of them.

 

[SBJT]

@SBJT post has reminded me that Jennifer/WTT is an stockist of Tucker and another brand that escapes me just now. As SBJT said they are really lightweight for leather western saddles and are really popular for that reason.

There is a knack to (gently) swinging western saddles onto horses too rather than lifting them over. That makes it easier given the weight of some of them.

Oh cool @TPO I didn’t think they got out there and were North America only. I liked mine I’d just recommend twisting the stirrups otherwise your knees hurt if you do a long ride since they don’t typically come twisted.

You’re right there is a knack to gently swinging up. You kind of have to give it momentum but not just dump it on their back. I’ve never been too good at it.

 

[TPO]

Allegany is the other brand that I couldn't remember

 

[Orangehorse]

The horses don't seem to be that bothered about the weight of the western saddle, I have one that someone brought over years and years ago, but I cannot physically put it on my larger horse. OK for a 15 hh quarter horse, mine is 16.00. I asked the western instructor to help and he just picked it up in one hand and flung it over and onto the horse - I can barely lift it off the saddle rack. I suppose if you are roping cattle you need something that is going to be strong and stable; mine is comfortable to ride in and I can imagine spending all day.